Improvement in post-drivers



.Y which form a partot' this specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. si'aELroIvl AND wILsoN'w. SMITH, or, JoHNsoNvILLE, TEEN.

` IMPROVEMENT IN POST-DRIVERS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 174,313, dated February 9.9, 1876; application tiled I August 25, 1875.

To all wlioin 'it may concern: l f Be, it known that we, WILLIAM J. SHEL- 'TON and WILSON W. SMITH, of Johnsonville,

'hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which lit pertains to make anduse the same, reference being' had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference vmarked thereon,

In this invention special provision is madev for obviating several disadvantages and objections of the ordinary portable post-drivers,

` and this we effect by hinging the vertical guide-standards of the ram or hammer to thel inclined braces running up from the frame-iv work ofthe machine, the lower end ot' the hinged guides beingconnected by means ot' a chain with a drum or shaft, so that by turning said drum after the hammer has beenv dropped upon the post, the guides or hammer standards will be moved in an inward direction, thus clearing the same from the post and per-v mitting the machine to be drawn forward for operation` upon a new post. The guides are retained when lthe machine is in operation by means of the horizontally-prqjecting rests and hammer-stop-ot' the machine, the rear one of whichis hinged so as to move in abackward direction for clearing the post when the ma' chine is being drawn forward. The invention also consists in other minor details otl construction, whichwill befully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation ot a'portahle post-driver constructed according to our invention; Fig.`2, top view oi' the same.

showing tlie adjustment of the ramfcarriage [to clear the standards of the driven post;

drawn.

' cal position.

i Fig'. 3 represents the .machine in sectional elevation. the dotted lines side of the bolster is inclined from the ends toward the middle vportion thereof so as to permit the axle and wheels to rock for accom.- modating themselves to the inequalities of the ground over which the machine is being Blocks a, Fig. 3, inserted between the bolster and axle of the wheeled truckframe, serve to prevent the rocking of the axle when the machine is used upon level ground, or when the parts are set to operate upon uni form hilly land. Adrat't-tongue, W,is jointed to the axle ot' the truckV in any suitable manposed of the longitudinal holsters F, and the A transverse. beams or rests G. The holsters F are also double inclined, and are plvoted to thebase-truck by pins b, and blocks @inserted between the truck-frame and holsters, are employed for the same purpose as the blocks athat is', to keep the hammer-carriage in vertirising from the left bolster ot' the rocking frame and` pivoted thereto, have attached to their upper ends, by means of pivots or hingejoints, the vertical ram or hammer guide standards I, having holdingpins i in their lower ends entering holes in the beams Gr. The ha-mmerJ, which operates between said guides, moves on rails or ways d, and it-is raised by means ot' the head K, which is similar in all respects to the corresponding device found in' ordinary post-drivers, except that it is provided With a more simple means for catching and disengaging the hammer or rain. The head-block is grooved or made hollow for the reception otl a` hook, L, which is pivoted in such a manner that its lower hooked end will catch a bail, M, on the ram or hammer' when the two parts are brought together.

The hammer, after having been raised to a sufficient height, is released froml the head, andA caused to descend by means ot' a projectingtop portion or rib, f, ofthe hammer guiderail, which strikes the hook. Cam e turns the same upon its pivot, and thereby releases it from the hammer, the hook L moving to one side as the cam e moves down.

'lhe hammerguides are capable-of being v raised and drawn toward the center of the The inclined braces or struts H,

by the eccentric action yoi' "the drum N n'pon the connecting-links, and a chain, Q,f`con' nected with the drum, and a block, g, atthe lower end of 'the hammer -v guides, serve to draw the latter'in 'an inwaril" iireetion after? the holding=pin`s i arer'eleasedyfor fthe 'object specified. Therear'frest-beamfG'has "a'h'in'gell outer section,- G, Fig. 4,'whicl1 "-is capablefolfj fturning in arearward direction `for the pur-t pose of enabling the machineto'movefffory 'ward without hin'de'r'anc'e vby fthe fp'os't.

The? mechanism or-'apparatns for'raisngfftheiham-V mer comprises a wheeled horse-power, R,! which is connected with theTtruckrorh'ammer'g frame by the longitudinal-iirivingfrshaf'ts,and

naled in the horse-power and main'or truc'ki frame, and it carriesat it'sffront `fend yl'oose drum, T', upon which -the Tone, Ujforhoist ing the hammer-is wound. TSaiddrumhas a; clutch proj cction ,whichl iriterlo'cks fwi thfalsi'milar projection lon the shaft S,-s'o?th'at itim'ay be locked thereon-for raisingth'ehannerbyi a lever, V. Afterfth'e 'hammerjh'afsbeen dis engaged from "the head-fand 'droppeLj-said Ahead is itself lowered by'unlocking'the'drumi Athrough the medium of a levershiftingfdevice,

V. .The -.portable horse-power mechanism is mounted upon a Wheeled frame, which isnarrower than the front frame, so as to allow the horse to pass the wheels and postwhen driven. A master-wheel, X, having the sweep-lever, Y, attached thereto, Lgearsinto a pinion, Z, on

4vthe v'fend-'of l"t'hefdriving-shaft.

We claim- .-1.Ina iportable,post-driver, the combina- "tion of v'the vertically and horizontally mova- -ble hammer-guides I, with their holdingpins,

thepivotcd supporting-braces H, and amech- `vani'sm 'for'alj us'tng Vthe gides, "substantially vast-and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the pivoted hammerguides I, the pivoted supporting-braces H, drum VN, eccentricallypivoted vlinks or 4"arms 'Lor-"beam G'havin'gahinged outer section, G', 'with'ftheguide-standards;braces, and the ham- Imer vmechanism,fas j"and ."for :the purpose 's et ifor'th.

4. The-donnieauth-nea sid-e' bolsters'r F Aof 'the v'upper"Trame, iin f combination with the don'ble inclined fazlebl'ster Bof fthe `lmain frame,an'dfthe'iatljustable blocks 'a c,-as and In itestimonyf that `we I claim the "foregoing YWILLIAM J. .sHELToN WILSON SMITH.

'fWitnesses l A. MYTT, -G. R. 1DoBsoN. 

